The present development relates to a mannequin having an interactive display panel to be primarily used in public places such as shopping malls, airports, and the like for advertising wares and services and for providing information concerning the same.
The use of models and human looking display mannequins for advertising consumer goods is well known. The mannequins are positioned in store windows and other places frequented by consumers to display apparel or other selected consumer products. In some instances, the mannequins may be designed to be responsive to their environment. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,987, an aroma dispensing system is concealed within a mannequin, and a predetermined quantity of fragrance is emitted into the environment when a proximity sensor within the mannequin detects consumers close to the mannequin. The mannequins of the '987 patent may further include a sound reproduction system that can be programmed to tell the consumer about the fragrance. However, these mannequins are not designed to allow the consumer to interact with the mannequin and request specific information about the product being advertised.
Because consumers are more likely to purchase an item if they can easily locate the item or if they can learn more about it, it would be advantageous to have a display mannequin that can interact with the consumer. For example, if a mannequin is attired in a particular garment in a display at a shopping center, it would be beneficial if an interested consumer could “question” the mannequin to determine which store sold the garment, where that store was located with respect to the display, how much the garment cost, and similar normally asked questions. Having mannequins designed to answer these questions could save the consumer time otherwise spent trying to locate the item of interest, and could increase the profits for the merchant by increasing clientele and by reducing labor costs associated with personnel answering repeat questions from prospective consumers.